| “Left It in the River” and My Journey with Baptism Scrolling through TikTok recently, I stumbled across a song that stopped me mid-scroll: “Left It in the River” by Jamie MacDonald. Some of its words brought me back to thinking about my own journey of baptism and how water has always symbolized my life. I was christened in the Catholic Church as an infant during a water ritual where promises were made on my behalf. Later, in my Protestant upbringing, I went through confirmation, a curriculum of what the church thought I should know, ending with my repeating vows. At thirteen, I did not yet have the kind of relationship with God that I know now. That’s why this song speaks to me so deeply. “My life was changed when I stepped into the water …Hallelujah, I’ve been delivered. Where is my guilt? Where is my shame? I left it in the river, oh… I left it in the river, oh.” When I hear those words, I think about what baptism truly represents: not just ritual, but surrender, cleansing, and the grace of a new beginning. Part of me longs to experience it again, not because it didn’t “count” before, but because now I fully understand the depth of being cleansed by the water. This reflection is especially strong as we prepare to baptize Kash, Taylor, and Macy’s sweet boy and our grandson. Pastor Candace has expressed her joy and eagerness in leading this moment. Baptism for him will be a beautiful beginning, just as it has been for so many of us, and I pray that one day Kash will fully embrace the grace in those waters, too. Another verse echoes this longing in me: “I had burdens on my shoulders all my life… I said a prayer from the banks of a river God met me there, showing me something better.” That lyric reminds me that every time we return to the water, whether in memory, ritual, or prayer, we leave something behind and rise renewed. If you’d like to hear “Left It in the River” for yourself, it’s streaming everywhere music is played: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and even on K-LOVE Radio. For me, it’s more than a song. It’s a reminder that the water has always been there—cleansing, promising, and carrying us forward into God’s grace. I left it in the river,  Suzette Cotto Online Ministry and Community suzette@resurrectionmcc.org Read full newsletter HERE |
